Only the Good Die Young - Rue's pov
by thg46divergent
Summary: A small child much too young to be fighting so many. She was just like the others - she wanted to get back home. Adventure into the story of the Hunger Games in Rue's point of view from the moment she steps foot into the arena until her death.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys! This is my first fanfic! Please, no hate! I will try to catch as many grammar issues that I can find! Anyways, this story is in Rue's point of view from the moment she steps foot into the arena. I hope you enjoy it!**_

**Rue's pov**

This was it. We all had 60 seconds to think of a plan. And my plan? Well, I don't know yet. That's why I have to concentrate for the next 60 seconds. Anyone in this arena could beat me in a fight. Even that little wispy boy from four would beat me. But I have to try, at least. I told my family that I would. I hold on tightly to my token, a necklace that is woven with the grass from a field back in district eleven, completed with a carved wooden star. It was a gift that my five sisters had helped my mother make. They gave it to me before the reaping. My parents were devastated that their children are starting to enter the ballot of the Hunger Games. My oldest sister besides me is eleven, so she will be entered next year. My parents are going to lose one of their children to the Hunger Games, but what will the rest of my siblings bring? I refuse to think about it. I still have to make a plan!

I shouldn't run into the cornucopia – I'd be sure to get killed. But, it's my only chance to get supplies, because I am almost positive that I don't have any sponsors that will give me any. So, that's it. I have to run into the cornucopia. It's very risky, but this is the Hunger Games. You'll have to take a risk at some point.

Before I know it, the clock is already at 10.

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GO! I sprint towards the closest bag I can reach. I can't believe what I'm seeing, but I don't know why – I see it every year. Children are killing innocent children. This must be what it feels to be like in war. But this is a different type of war. First, we are all forced to fight each other. And, we don't have a purpose for fighting each other either. We all just want to go home, but is that really worth killing innocent children, who have the same exact goal as you do? I force myself not to think about it.

I sprint my way into the forest before anybody can reach me. I sigh in relief as I slump down. I could only rest for a few minutes. I take the time to examine what's in the bag that I grabbed. A few days of food, consisting of a couple slices of meat and some trail mix. There's less in this bag then I thought there would be, but I'll have to manage. I had to get as far away as possible from the bloodbath. I walk for a few miles, until I know that I should stop to sleep. I find a sturdy tree, climb it, and fall asleep after listening to the anthem and watching the faces appear in the sky. I count as the faces cover the sky. Eleven. Eleven innocent lives that the Capitol has ended. I know that it will be a sleepless night, but I lay my head down. I was frozen, with nothing to protect me against the cold. But somehow I manage to fight the chills and fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey guys! This is the second chapter of Only the Good Die Young – Rue's pov. I hope you like it! Please review, it would make my day! Thanks! I hope you enjoy chapter 2!**_

**Rue's pov – Chapter 2**

I can't believe I made it. It was the second day in the arena, and I still haven't died. I know I will soon, but I have to at least try to make it home. Last night I was freezing; I barely made it through the night. What will the next nights bring? Who am I to think that? I might not even make it to tonight.

I figured that I needed a weapon. In case I do get into a fight, I am not going down without a fight. I have to show my family that I tried; I didn't just sit down and wait for somebody to kill me. So I decide to make a slingshot and a simple knife. But before I make the weapons, I need to find a source of water and food. Food should be easy enough. There are so many bushes and trees and eggs that I could collect. So I start with food.

As I walk through the forest humming softly, I notice something-My tune is being played back to me. Mockingjays! I smile for the first time since I came into the arena. I sing my four note tune to them. They replay it. For once, I feel at home in the arena. I could continue playing with the mockingjays for hours, but I know that I must find food.

I start up in the trees. I find some eggs. By the time I am finished collecting food, I have found a wide variety of roots, nuts, greens, and berries that we grew at home called blueberries. We get them on a rare occasion. Only during harvest time, they give people food so that we can keep going. I throw some into my mouth, thinking how I even feel more at home here in the arena.

As I put the food that I have collected into my backpack, I notice something that I didn't yesterday. A small water skin. That will come in handy if I ever find water. After walking for a few miles, I finally find a pond. I fill up my water skins and head out. I can't stay there – the careers always look for tribute's camps by water sources. I decide to make camp about a mile away. I notice a bush full of leaves that we use to cure tracker jacker stings. (There's a _ton_ of tracker jacker nests in district eleven) I've seen some nests around in the arena. I decide that it would be wise to take a few leaves in case I get stung.

Suddenly I hear a cannon. Who might that be? I guess I'll have to wait until tonight to find out. I am so tired because I have walked a lot today, gathering food and water. I realize that I forgot to make my weapons. Oh well, I'll have to do that tomorrow.

I wake up to the national anthem playing with the girl from 8's picture in the sky. She's probably a victim of the careers. I fall right back asleep, thinking about how in the morning I thought that I wouldn't make it to sundown. I guess I proved myself wrong.

_**Sorry I'm posting such boring chapters! Next chapter will consist of the fire (where she gets the burn on her arm) and the tracker jacker scene. Don't forget to review! It will make my day!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey Guys! I'm sorry my story has been so boring! This is where it starts getting good. Muhahaha. Sorry… I kind of over reacted there… Oh well! Enjoy! And, PLEASE REVIEW! Heehee, thank you!**_

**Rue's Pov – Chapter 3**

Day three in the arena. All is going well so far. When I wake up, I remember to make the weapons that I had intended to do earlier. So I get right to work on that. I climb down from the tree that I slept in last night and look for a sharp rock. I scavenge for a rock. When I finally find one, I sharpen it so I now have a form of defense. I decide to also make a slingshot. I know how to use them and I have pretty good aim.

I'm practicing aim with my slingshot as I suddenly glance over to my right to see the flames hurling towards me. I start sprinting through the forest, barley aware of what's ahead of me. The fire is gaining speed, and I don't have enough energy to keep sprinting. The flames are centimeters behind me. I had to keep running. It was life or death here.

Suddenly, the fire reaches my arm. It feels as if 1,000 needles were entering my arm all at the same time. I wail, and my adrenaline keeps me running as fast as my legs will carry me. The fireballs soon come into action. I find myself ducking and jumping under obstacles that cover the forest. _When will this fire stop coming? They must be setting the whole arena on fire! _I think to myself. I'm barley able to breathe while I'm running. Then the fireballs start coming. _Haven't you already had enough? My arm's on fire, here! _Suddenly I'm filled with anger. My arm is burning like hell. I drop to the ground, clutching my burned arm with my arm. I knew that this was it. The flames would soon cover me, marking my death.

But just then, it stopped. _Why would it stop? It's like the gamemakers are trying to save me. _I sigh in relief. But now I have my burn to worry about. At least I still have all my supplies. I didn't lose anything in the fire.

I soon start walking through the woods again as I hear cheering. It could only be the careers. I mean, who else would rejoicing in the arena? I quickly climb the nearest tree, with some difficulty because of my arm. I ponder why they are cheering. Something big must be happening. Then I notice who they're chasing – Katniss Everdeen. She's the girl from the twelve. The careers have been desperate to kill her since she beat them in training by getting an eleven in the private sessions with the gamemakers. My mentors, Seeder and Chaff said that they've never seen anybody get an eleven. I wonder what she did to get it.

Katniss Everdeen climbs the tree next to mine. I surprised that she climb it because she got hit in the leg by the flames. Of course the careers are unscratched. I guarantee that the careers will be able to get her. I feel pity for Katniss. I flashback to when Thresh was talking to me on the train on the way to the Capitol. He told me how he'd like for anybody to win _except_ for the careers. I didn't blame him. The careers don't deserve to win. Maybe Thresh will win, he's strong. He could beat one of the careers in a fight.

The careers start talking, but I miss it because I'm too far away to hear them. Cato, the male tribute from two starts climbing the tree. The branch that he is holding onto breaks and he plunges for the ground. I can't help but laughing. I wonder what they'll do now. To my surprise, they make camp under the tree, waiting for Katniss because she's not going anywhere – that's for sure. And neither am I. They would surely hear me if I tried to get out.

Then, I realize a tracker jacker nest above Katniss. Tracker Jacker nests are all over the place in district eleven. Katniss could drop the nest on the careers! Brilliant! But I didn't know why I was on Katniss's side. Was it because I despised the careers? Or was it because I honored Katniss's character and her bravery? I decided to go with both ideas.

"Phh, Katniss," I whisper just loud enough so she can hear me. Her head flings around. She sees that it's just me and sighs. I point to the nest above her. Her eyes widen at the sight of the nest. She must have tracker jackers in district twelve too. I vanish back into my hiding spot behind the leaves.

About an hour later, Katniss calls out to me quietly. She points to the nest and makes a sawing movement with her hand. I simply nod and sink back into the tree.

During the anthem, I watched as she cut the branch, every so often getting a sting. I can tell she's trying as hard as she can. I ponder the thought of being her ally. It wouldn't be such a bad idea. You can tell that she has a soft spot for kids after watching the reapings.

Finally, the nest falls. It makes a huge _pumph_ as it hits the hard ground. The mutts came flying out and quickly attack their target – the careers. All of the careers run for the lake. I should say, all but two. The girl from four and the girl from one, Glimmer, I believe her name is, collapse to the ground. All the stings have affected them. I'm bi surprised when about ten minutes later I hear two cannons go off. I can't help but think that I am part of the reason they died. But I saved Katniss.

I'm climbing a tree when I hear the careers again. _Again? Haven't I had enough of them already? _I climb faster, only to find that the branch that is holding one of my feet is starting to disappear. _Those gamemakers…. _It's not long before my hands start slipping also. Before I know it, I'm plunging to the ground. I land with a big THUMP and look at my surroundings. The careers have surrounded me.

_**Oh, a cliffy! Haha, sorry guys. I don't really like the title for this story. Does anybody have some good ideas? If so, please, Please, PLEASE review and give me some ideas! Thank you!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I'll try to post more often now. And remember, PLEASE REVIEW!**_

**Rue's pov – chapter 4**

This was it. I would die at the hands of a career. One of the only things I dreaded. They were all staring at me like dead meat. I had to think of a plan before it was too late.

"Well, well, well," Cato teases, twirling the hilt of his sword between his fingers. I glare at him. "If it isn't our little friend from eleven. Rue, I believe, right?" He continues, an evil smirk smeared onto his face. All the careers look that way. I mean, only the ones that are left. The girl from one, Glimmer and the girl from four didn't make it. While I was doing it, I had felt pity for them. But now, I don't have a pinch of guilt.

I speak up. I was going to die anyways, why not spice it up a bit? "I'm sorry for your loss," I spit back at him. "I saw them suffering for dear life. Katniss made the right decision to drop the tracker jackers on you."

All careers stare at me, dumbfounded. I guess they're surprised how I spoke up. I take the chance to continue. "Too bad you got those stings… Katniss is just showing you off again," I say, as innocently as possible. Cato, obviously angered by me, grabs me by the neck and pins me to a tree. I smile. I can't let my fear show, that's what they all want. And I am _definitely __not_ giving them what they want.

Cato smirks now as he holds his sword to my neck. I don't try to escape, I know it's worthless. Even if I get out of Cato's grip, I have to face the other two careers too. "Here honey, I'll make it quick. Just one question, since you saw Katniss dropping the nest on us, where did she go?"

I think for a moment. "She went away from the lake that you went to, but towards the pond," I lie. Hopefully they will give in. I know that the careers finding her will result to her slow, painful death.

Cato grins as he raises his sword. But right before it enters my wispy body, something, or someone knocks him out of the way. The figure quickly grabs me and sprints away. The other careers, Clove and Marvel glance at each other wondering whether to come after us, or to help Cato out. Thankfully, they decided to stay and help Cato, despite that fact that whoever was carrying me and I are getting away. I glance up at my savior. He is tall, possibly the tallest in the games with a determined look on his face. He is as strong as an ox, he could even beat one of the careers in a fight. It was Thresh.

When we finally get far enough that we think that the careers won't be able to find us, he carefully puts me down. "That was close," I whisper, still processing what had just happened.

He nods. "You're welcome," he says softly. "You know what I said about those careers. I'd rather have anybody win but them. And how they were about to kill you… well, it almost killed me. What you said was brave. You didn't actually tell them where Katniss was, right?"

I shake my head. "Of course I didn't! I would never do anything like that for them or Katniss," I say. I am secretly hoping that Thresh could become my ally. He is strong, he would make a good ally.

"I'd better get going," he says, ruining the chances of us becoming allies. "Good luck out there, Rue. Don't go anywhere near the careers."

"What?" I ask. "You're leaving me alone? I was hoping…,"

Thresh shakes his head. "I'm sorry Rue, I really am. But just I'm not looking for an ally."

"Thank you," I mummer, "for saving my life. I hope you win," is all that I can say. Tears are falling down my cheeks as he leaves. I don't go after him. It's no use. All I can do is watch him slowly drift away. It will probably be the last time I see him.

I slump down, grabbing some nuts from my backpack. I wasn't hungry, but I knew that I should eat. All my thoughts are revolving around Thresh. _Why did he save me? Why did he leave me? _I lay down to these thoughts, stuck in my head. I should have gone after him. Is it too late now? Yes it is, he must be miles away by now.

I knew that it would be a sleepless night. I won't even bother trying to fall asleep. So I spend my time walking to the pond to refill my water skin with water. I was running low anyways. As I make my way back to my camp, I realize that somebody has occupied it. My eyes adjust to the figure.

It's the girl on fire. The one who is wearing the mockingjay pin. I am staring at Kaatniss Everdeen.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I've just been crazy busy wrapping up the last few days of school. When summer comes, the chapters will be coming out much more rapidly. Don't worry. ;) Anyways, here's chapter 5. I hope you like it!**_

**Rue's pov – chapter 5**

I quickly and silently hide behind the nearest tree. She obviously has a soft spot for children, everybody knows that after watching the reaping. But still, she wants to make it back home just as much as anybody else does. But would she really kill me? The little innocent girl from eleven? I sure hope not.

I can't help but drooling. She had the perfect meal. She had a groosling roasting above a fire. It had been so long since I had a decent meal like that. She was plucking at the feathers, and I just had to get a better look of it. I moved to the left, and that's when the twig snapped.

I froze dead in my tracks. Fire girl's head was turning my way. _Should I run? No, that's a stupid idea. She has a bow. But I'm dead anyways, right? Thresh isn't coming to save me now._

"You know, they're not the only ones who can form alliances," calls a soothing voice. _She wants me to be _her_ ally? A strong, good-minded person like her? This was definitely a trap. Well, it was worth a try._

I poked my head out from my hiding place, revealing my thick and bushy hair. "You want me for an ally?"

"Why not? You saved me with those tracker jackers. You're smart enough to still be alive. And I can't seem to shake you anyways," she says. I look her right in the eyes. She must actually want me for an ally. I could tell that she wasn't lying. She was being so… generous. I could tell that she wouldn't be harming me. I nod my head. I still can't take my eyes off the groosling. "You hungry?" She must notice how I had been staring at the meat. "Come on then, I've had two kills today."

She was giving me a meal. A real meal. I had to repay her. Her stings. I knew how cure them. "I can fix your stings," I say, sounding as confident as I can sound, after being in the arena for days.

"Can you?" She inquires, an impressed look on her face, "How?"

I grab the leaves in my backpack that I had gathered the first few days I had been in the arena. "Where'd you find lose?" She asks. By the expression on her face, I can tell that they look familiar. She must have them in district twelve too.

"Oh, you know, just around. There's a ton of nests in eleven. There's plenty here too."

"That's right. District eleven. Agriculture," She notes. "Orchards, huh? That must be how you can fly around in the trees like you've got wings." I can't help but smile. Just ten minutes ago I had convinced myself that I was walking straight towards a trap, one that would cost my life. Katniss Everdeen might be my ticket to the crown. But I didn't know that. I wouldn't be able to kill her after all that she's given me. "Well, come on, then. Fix me up."

So that's what I do. I toss a few leaves into my mouth and chew. Finally, I press them onto Katniss's stings. She groans in delight. I giggle.

"You're lucky that you thought to remove the stingers! It would've been much more difficult if you haven't," my mind wanders to the careers. They hadn't taken the stingers out. I smirk. That should get them.

Katniss is now begging for more. "My neck, my check!" So I toss more leaves into my mouth and apply them to her stings. She starts laughing. I felt relieved to be with such a positive person in the arena. To Katniss, even putting her in the arena can't put her down. Of course, on the inside she's dying, but she doesn't show it. She doesn't want to show the Capitol her misery. That's exactly what they want. It was like the time that I didn't show fear when the careers almost killed me.

"You weren't joking, about wanting me for a ally?" I ask her, staring into her warm grey eyes.

"No, I meant it," she says, a small smile on her face.

"Okay," I smile too. I hold out my hand. We shake on it. I might actually have a chance at winning now. With Katniss Everdeen. I knew that nev er in a thousand years it could happen, but I hoped that Katniss and I could win together. I can visualize Claudious Templesmith's voice booming throughout the arena.

"Katniss Everdeen and Rue Hille! Victors of the 74th annual Hunger Games!"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hope you like this chapter! Don't forget to review, review, review! **_

**Rue's pov – chapter 6**

The rest of the night went by in a blur. I heal the rest of Katniss's tracker jacker stings, and she healed the burn on my arm from the fire with a medicine her sponsors had given her. I tell her that she has good sponsors and she replies by telling me that the closer we got to the end, the more people would realize how clever I am. Katniss telling me this gives me hope. A kind of hope that I had never felt in my life. Not the kind I felt when Thresh saved my life from being slaughtered by the careers. This was a different type of hope. This kind of hope was one that I felt that I could really make it out of the arena alive.

We talked about other things too. The daily life in district eleven, how they never let us eat any of the food without a public whipping. We combined all of our food together in a pile. My food supply consisted of the food I collected at the start of the games. Well, what was left of it at least. Katniss's share of the pile has a few crackers and a few beef strips.

She was eyeing the blueberries. "You sure that these are safe?" She looks concerned as she asks me, rolling the berry between her fingers.

"Oh, yes, we have them back in district eleven. I've been eating them for days." I threw some up in the air, catching them in my mouth. "They're called blueberries," I continue.

I was showing her my supplies when she reached in to her pack and slipped out a pair of night vision goggles. I gasped. How did she get her hands on a pair of those? "How did you get those?" I ask, my eyes wide, closely examining the sunglasses.

"They were in my pack," she shrugs. "They're useless. They just make it harder to see."

"They're not for the sun," I explain. "They're for the darkness!" I exclaim. "During work, when the workers in the tallest trees get a pair to help them see because the torch doesn't reach that high." So I tell her the story of Martin, the boy who attempted to steal a pair of the glasses. He was killed instantly when they found the glasses in his pants. "Try the glasses on when it's pitch black. You'll be able to see as if the sun were shining."

Then we talk about sleeping arrangements. We both usually sleep in the trees, so that's where we decide to go. "Don't you get cold?" Katniss asks me.

I show her my socks that I wear as mittens. "Yes, but I have these," I inform her. Katniss holds up a sleeping bag. My eyes widen. How long did she stay at the bloodbath? She got a lot of useful supplies.

"We can share it, we'll both easily fit," says Katniss. I smile. This is much more than I expected when I agreed to team up with Katniss.

We climb a sturdy tree and get comfortable in Katniss's sleeping bag when the anthem begins to play. Nobody's face shows in the sky. No deaths today. "You missed two nights," I whisper, my words covered by the blasting of the nation's anthem. "The girls from one and four died from the tracker jackers. There's only ten of us left."

"Something strange happened. At least, I think it did. It might have been the tracker jacker venom making me imagining things," she says. "You know the boy from my district? Peeta? Well, I think he saved my life. But he was with the careers."

"He's not with them now," I say, remembering that he wasn't with the careers when they almost killed me. "I've spied at their camp by the lake," I lied. "But he's not there. I think I saw him go towards the lake," I say, feeling guilty for lying. It's true that I saw him go towards the lake, but I only walked by the careers' camp, barely examining it.

Silence. Katniss looked as if though she was trying to put together a puzzle when she's missing a few pieces. Finally, she answered. "If he did, it was all probably just part of his act. You know, to make people think he's in love with me."

An act? I didn't know that all this star-crossed-lovers thing was an act! "Oh," I said. "I didn't think it was an act."

"Course it is. He worked it out with my mentor." Just as she finishes talking, and the anthem ends, causing the sky to go dark. Katniss removes the night vision goggles from her pocket and puts them on. She gazed around us as if she was blind and just got her vision back. "I wonder who else got a pair of these," Katniss says.

If there's one thing I remember about seeing the careers' camp, it was seeing how they had the goggles. How I was jealous of them for having them. "The careers have two pairs. And they've got all their supplies down by the lake. They're so strong…" I sigh.

"We're strong too. Just in a different way," says Katniss.

"You are. You can shoot. What can I do?" I ask her.  
"You can feed yourself," she explains. "Can they?"

"But they don't need to," I argue. "They have all their supplies."

"Say they didn't," Katniss smirks. "Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last? I mean, it's the Hunger Games, right?"

"But Katniss, they're not hungry," I pointed out.

"No, they're not. That's the problem," she agrees. She had her game face on, one that I could tell that nothing would get in her way, nothing could stop her. She looks down into my chocolate brown eyes, and I can tell that she had a plan, and I was certain that it would work, just looking at the expression on her face. "I think we're going to have to fix that, Rue," she says with a smirk.


End file.
